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Republican "Main Street Advocacy" Attacks Conservative Groups
FreedomWorks.org ^ | November 12, 2013 | Jason Hart

Posted on 11/12/2013 11:42:27 AM PST by SoConPubbie

Main Street Advocacy, an organization created expressly to fight limited-government groups who challenge Republican Party officials, launched its first advertisement on November 6.

“The reason that Harry Reid and the Democrats control the U.S. Senate is thanks to the efforts of the Club for Growth, FreedomWorks and the Tea Party,” Main Street Advocacy President Steve LaTourette said in the release for a video containing brief clips from Richard Mourdock, Todd Akin, and Christine O’Donnell.

Focusing on a few embarrassing losses while ignoring the success of Sen. Ted Cruz and many others, Main Street Advocacy’s message is clear: only Republican leadership should have the power to choose who runs for national office as a Republican.

LaTourette – a DC lobbyist and former congressman from northeastern Ohio – is also the current president of Republican Main Street Partnership and heads Defending Main Street, Main Street Advocacy’s sister political action committee.

When candidates backed by the Republican National Committee (RNC), National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), or National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) lose, allies like LaTourette offer explanations ranging from funding, to messaging, to technology problems, to the overall political climate.

When a more conservative candidate loses after being backed by independent right-of-center groups, however, RNC, NRSC, and NRCC eagerly blame the organizations who supported him or her.

Although the reverse is certainly true in terms of fingers pointed at the Republican establishment when its chosen candidates lose, the sense of victimhood expressed by LaTourette is bizarre.

According to LaTourette, Main Street Advocacy and Defending Main Street exist because the mammoth RNC, NRSC, and NRCC need help blocking threats against their power.

Defending Main Street’s plan to spend $8 million in 2014 primary races is “a baby step that we’re beginning with to try to level the playing field,” the former 18-year congressman told The Washington Post in July.

In a September 20 Washington Post op-ed, LaTourette slammed FreedomWorks and Club for Growth as “organizations that have made a lucrative business out of Washington’s dysfunction.”

“No amount of polling will convince those who are content with pandering to the base that what they are doing is damaging the party,” LaTourette sneered in an October 15 Newsweek column on the partial shutdown of the federal government.

“For the first time, there will be a group representing the governing wing of the Republican Party that will not only defend itself, but also push back,” LaTourette said in Main Street Advocacy’s November 6 release.

In the July 31, 2012 speech on the House floor where he announced his resignation from Congress, LaTourette decried the refusal of conservatives to support bloated farm and highway spending bills.

“We’re talking about building roads and bridges for Christ’s sake. We’re not talking about big Democratic and Republican initiatives,” LaTourette said.

Since leaving Congress and becoming a lobbyist, LaTourette has been on the front lines attacking conservatives who reject the Republican Party’s standard go-along-to-get-along approach.

“We want our party back,” LaTourette said last week at a New York City fundraiser covered by The New York Times.

Shortly before announcing his resignation last year, LaTourette cosponsored a “compromise” budget that would have increased taxes. The congressman did not take kindly to conservative opposition to his proposal.

“We’re asking that members tonight stand up, that they stand up to the bloodsuckers in this town who take 5, 10, 15, 25 dollars from our constituents to pretend to defend causes on their behalf,”LaTourette said in a speech on the House floor.

LaTourette claims to speak for the “centrist” or “moderate” wing of the Republican Party, but his voting record pegs him among the party’s leftmost members.

LaTourette’s lifetime score from FreedomWorks is 54 percent; he scored 32 percent in 2012.

LaTourette’s 2012 Heritage Action score of 35 percent was lower than every other Republican except Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, the senators from Maine. Sen. Snowe is helping Defending Main Street with fundraising.

Of all Republicans, only New Hampshire Congressman Charles Bass and Illinois Congressman Bob Dold had lower Club for Growth ratings than the 45 percent LaTourette earned in 2012. LaTourette’s highest Club for Growth score was 69 percent in 2010, and his lowest was 18 percent in 2007.

Along with Rep. David Joyce, LaTourette’s hand-picked replacement for his former district, Rep. Dold is one of the six candidates Main Street Advocacy has already endorsed for 2014.

This story was originally published at Media Trackers.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Front Page News; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: cruz; defendingmainst; latourettems; mainstpartnership; mainstreetadvocacy; rmsp; stevelatourette
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To: SoConPubbie
Let's call it LaTourette's Syndrome.

He needs to go get a room with Debbie Vassermann Sgt. Schultz.

21 posted on 11/12/2013 11:58:50 AM PST by Paladin2
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To: SoConPubbie
“No amount of polling will convince those who are content with pandering to the base that what they are doing is damaging the party,” LaTourette sneered

It doesn't get much more Through the Looking Glass than this.

These pansies sure can get nasty when the peasants refuse to sniff their thrones.

I hope they're having night terrors.

22 posted on 11/12/2013 12:01:17 PM PST by Madame Dufarge
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To: Zuben Elgenubi
"NOPe to GOPe "

That's Good.

How to add DOPe, ROPe, HOPe, COPe, etc. ?

23 posted on 11/12/2013 12:01:51 PM PST by Paladin2
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To: SoConPubbie

‘Rational conservatives’ group halts campaign in Montana (2010 Flashback)

A Washington, D.C.-based Republican group promoting “rational conservatives” in contested Montana Republican legislative primaries has decided to halt its ad campaign, after questions were raised about its financial disclosure.

The group, Main Street Advocacy, bought radio ads and mailed campaign-style flyers in a dozen contested Republican legislative primaries earlier this month.

http://missoulian.com/news/local/rational-conservatives-group-halts-campaign-in-montana/article_3f42a354-6a13-11df-9926-001cc4c002e0.html


24 posted on 11/12/2013 12:02:06 PM PST by jimbo123
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To: jimbo123

More like K Street Advocacy. What a rotten bunch of beltway prostitutes.


25 posted on 11/12/2013 12:02:46 PM PST by lodi90
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To: SoConPubbie

Did you guys read what he said?!?!

“... content with pandering to the base ...”

PANDERING TO THE BASE?????!

WTH??? - that used to be called LISTENING to your base or REPRESENTING your party and constituents. It means doing what you were elected to do.

The sheer unmitigated GALL of these people is just unbelievable!


26 posted on 11/12/2013 12:02:48 PM PST by taxcontrol
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To: SC_Pete

Your party’s establishment never had any intention of actually stopping obamacare. The insurance companies who bribe them and the dems aren’t paying those bribes to get rid of a law that funnels billions in subsidies to them and forces everyone to buy their product at gun point for whatever price they want to charge.


27 posted on 11/12/2013 12:02:56 PM PST by Orangedog (An optimist is someone who tells you to 'cheer up' when things are going his way)
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To: SoConPubbie

This guy doesn’t represent the GOP outside of Washington DC. Wouldn’t be grand if the GOP focused on attacking Democrats and big dysfunctional government. People like this guy are the problem. It keeps the GOP message from being clear and in stark contrast to the progressive left. If he wants to be a Democrat be a Democrat. Go stand arm and arm with the ladies dressed as pink vaginas. I suppose that is one of my biggest beefs with so called “moderates”. The progressive left is filled to the brim with extremist freakazoids who want to do everything from take your guns, control the size of your family, the size of your income, the size of your energy consumption, all the way to controlling the size of your slurpees! When they start attacking the likes of Nancy Pelosi as much as the Christine O’Donnell’s then maybe they could be taken seriously otherwise these guys should be seen as the enemy within. They are infiltrators trying to destroy the GOP or weaken it to the point that it is meaningless.


28 posted on 11/12/2013 12:03:03 PM PST by Maelstorm (Obamacare is your healthcare on stupid.)
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To: Zuben Elgenubi

That is literally the case in Minnesota. And every other caucus state.


29 posted on 11/12/2013 12:05:36 PM PST by DManA
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To: jimbo123
"CONGRESSMAN FRED UPTON"

Well, there U go.

Mr. I know more about what light blubs you should buy than YOU!

30 posted on 11/12/2013 12:06:46 PM PST by Paladin2
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To: SoConPubbie

Who did not expect this really?


31 posted on 11/12/2013 12:06:53 PM PST by GeronL
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To: SoConPubbie
Republican Main "Crony Street Advocacy" Attacks Conservative Groups.

There, fixed it for the GOP-E ruling class, so they didn't have to do any work themselves.

32 posted on 11/12/2013 12:07:18 PM PST by Navy Patriot (Join the Democrats, it's not Fascism when WE do it, and the Constitution and law mean what WE say.)
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To: SoConPubbie

Main Street Republicans don’t want Conservative votes? Ok, try to win without that!


33 posted on 11/12/2013 12:08:52 PM PST by RginTN
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To: jimbo123
Wow. Quite a list. It perfectly illustrates the fight that we have for this party. Remember, this is what this group of collaborators have signed on to ...... and who they selected as their spokesman ...

Main Street Advocacy, an organization created expressly to fight limited-government groups who challenge Republican Party officials [i.e. NOT 0bamacare] … Main Street Advocacy President Steve LaTourette, a DC lobbyist and former congressman from northeastern Ohio, who has a lifetime score from FreedomWorks of 54 percent; he scored 32 percent in 2012.

LaTourette’s 2012 Heritage Action score of 35 percent was lower than every other Republican except Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, the senators from Maine.

34 posted on 11/12/2013 12:10:01 PM PST by Servant of the Cross (the Truth will set you free)
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To: SC_Pete
"...the Republican Establishment attacks its base..."

It's even more of an idiotic strategery now that the base has observed the abject failure of the GOPe over the last 16 years and has come to a "no mas" for future support of RINO candidates.

The base has been swept away.

35 posted on 11/12/2013 12:10:55 PM PST by Paladin2
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To: SoConPubbie

Steve LaTourette’s got his head up his @$$ again. Wait - it’s November, so it’s Karl’s turn.

Either way don’t you find it hard to breathe Steven?


36 posted on 11/12/2013 12:11:05 PM PST by MichaelCorleone (Jesus Christ is not a religion. He's the Truth.)
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To: All

REPUBLICAN MAIN STREET PARTNERSHIP
325 7th Street, N.W., Suite 610 | Washington, DC 20004
Phone: (202) 393-4353 | Fax: (202) 393-4354


37 posted on 11/12/2013 12:16:20 PM PST by jimbo123
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To: Dick Bachert
"From that experience I can tell you that the Pubbies at the HQ in D.C. would rather have a Democrat win a given district than have a pubbie up there who would embarrass them by refusing to follow the party line."

Interesting given that my current opinion is that I'd rather elect a 'Rat then allow a RINO continued "leadership" in DC.

(Rather a moot point in my case as my last RINO critter is long gone and now I'm represented by total commies or at least National Socialists.)

38 posted on 11/12/2013 12:18:22 PM PST by Paladin2
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To: SC_Pete
Well said. I've held my nose and voted too often for Rinos. No more. There is little time to save what remains of our republic.
39 posted on 11/12/2013 12:25:01 PM PST by Jacquerie (An Article V amendment convention is our only hope.)
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To: SoConPubbie

Main Street taking money from SEIU...as mentioned in an earlier article. This group is a Democrat front group


40 posted on 11/12/2013 12:36:51 PM PST by SeminoleCounty (2014: RINO Hunting Season)
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